The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the first three cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry in Western Canada.
The CFIA says two commercial flocks in Mountain View County and one in Ponoka County tested positive on April 6 for the H5N1 subtype that has been spreading across North America since first being found in Atlantic Canada in late 2021.
The agency says it is investigating the cases in Alberta, and will be establishing control measures for nearby farms.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Ontario continues to climb, with at least seven farms and three backyard flocks testing positive as of April 7. The latest cases in Ontario are in the City of Markham, Prince Edward County, and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says birds in at least two dozen U.S. states have also tested positive for the H5N1 pathotype since early February.
The CFIA continues to remind anyone with poultry or other susceptible birds to practice good biosecurity.
Related: Canadian poultry industry on high alert as avian influenza spreads north